When: Thursday, February 9th 2012
Where: The Barley Mow, 92 St.Georges Road, Brighton.
I paid: £3.30 for a pint of Arundel, 20p for 10 blackjacks.
Situated right in the heart of Kemp Town it's hard to miss the Barley Mow as it's painted in a somewhat garish pale lilac. Not that you'd want to pass it by anyway. It also used to be my local when I lived just round the corner but there's no point getting nostalgic now.......I visited on quiz night and had managed to rope in three friends to make up a team so the joy at returning to one of my favourite pubs was doubled by the fact I wouldn't be a sad, solo drinker.
The bar offers a good selection of drinks and local ales and for those not content with just wrecking their liver then there is the opportunity to start on the teeth as there is a wide variety of sweets available of the type you used to buy as a kid. Blackjacks, fruit salad, coconut snowballs and fizzy cola bottles are all there. In normal circumstances I probably wouldn't dream of eating them these days but when you're standing at the bar and see those brightly coloured boxes well.......just like a kid, really. The youth of today are also well catered for with M & M's and Haribo but these are generally frowned upon by your hardened sweeteater.
Ok, enough about the confectionery. The pub itself is small and and cramped but with a large open fire and dogs roaming freely around, it has a warm, friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately its lack of space ensures close proximity to others and tends to be a drawback on quiz night, particularly when you have a tendency to blurt out the answers and have a foghorn voice (luckily, I didn't get many right). There are no TV's but there is a small selection of battered boardgames available (Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, anyone?). A sense of community spirit is also in evidence as the pub is the sponsor of Kemp Town FC (Sussex Sunday Junior Division 5 when I checked in The Argus, not as good as the mighty Horsdean) and their upcoming fixtures are posted on the chalkboards. As well as this there is the 'Pillar of the community' next to the bar where locals can place free ads for items for sale, upcoming events etc. Food is served until late if you don't fancy gorging on blackjacks and is all cooked freshly on the premises. As well as a large weekday selection there is also a separate menu for Sunday roasts and although I didn't indulge on this occasion (it was a Thursday) I have in the past (back when it was my local, sob!) and can testify to its goodness.
We didn't win the quiz. There were accusations from a couple of team members that other teams were cheating but it might just have been that we were crap. Outside it had begun to snow heavily and the talk had turned to the unlikely but welcome possibility that we might get snowed in. I can think of a lot worse places for that to happen. Did I mention it used to be my local?
Dog friendly: Oh yes Entertainment: Fruit machine, boardgames. Not much room for anything else.
Outdoor seating: Heated, covered patio area at rear. Dominated by the smokers, it was a bit overpowering.
Quiz: Erm, Thursday 9 P.M!
Food: Large menu available as well as a separate Sunday one. Slightly above average prices.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5/10......Local hero.
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